1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to ground hydrant construction and, more particularly, is concerned with a ground hydrant having a right angle water flow turn-off ball valve below the frost line in the ground.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional ground hydrant typically has a vertical water flow pipe extending from above the ground downwardly into the ground to the location of an underground pressurized water supply line below the frost line. The hydrant employs an operating lever handle and a outlet nozzle on the upper end of the flow pipe, a straight-through water flow ball valve assembly below the frost line and operable for connecting in flow communication a right angle elbow on the lower end of the flow pipe with the pressurized water supply line, and a rod extending between the ball valve assembly and operating lever for actuating the ball valve assembly between opened and closed positions by moving the lever handle.
To prevent freezing of water in the upper portion of the vertical water flow pipe, conventional ground hydrants typically incorporate a drain hole in the lower end of the flow pipe to permit the residual water within the flow pipe to drain from the flow pipe below the frost line during periods of nonuse. A serious drawback of this way of draining the flow pipe is that the drain hole also provides a major avenue for foreign matter to enter the flow pipe and contaminate to the water being discharged at the outlet nozzle of the hydrant.
To avoid this drawback of conventional ground hydrants, alternative ground hydrant constructions have been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,521 to Fillman and U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,522 to Fillman et al which eliminates the use of a bottom drain hole that drains off residual water to the surrounding ground. Instead, a drain water collection system is employed which acts as a reservoir for the drain water and is connected by a drain line to a discharge location above the ground. The drain water collection system is operated by the same lever handle that operates the hydrant.
While the alternative ground hydrant constructions of the cited patents may reduce the potential for water contamination through the drain hole, they introduce a new set of problems. These problems are increased costs and reduced reliability due to the introduction of the more complicated system of mechanical components used in the alternative constructions. These problems make it unlikely that the proposed alternative constructions could provide commercially viable solutions.
Consequently, a need still exists for improvement in ground hydrant construction which will overcome the potential contamination problem of the conventional design without introducing a new set of problems.